Scientists Find Gene Related to Alcohol Consumption

According to the National Institute of Health news release, scientists supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism are studying a gene that directly influences that alcohol consumption in mice.

The gene known as Grm7, this gene encodes a receptor subtype that helps to release glutamate and other neurotransmitter molecules that our brain cells use to communicate with one another. According to researchers they have identified a specific gene variant that reduces the Grm7 messenger RNA (molecular intermediate between a gene and its protein product) in the brain tissue. The study that has been conducted shows that mice who possess this specific gene variant drink more alcohol than mice with higher levels of RNA.

It has been well known to scientists that genes do account for a huge part of the risk of alcoholism. Scientists are hoping that if further studies are done to show that a similar gene variant is relevant to problems due to alcoholism in humans, they are hoping for the opportunity to create drugs that could treat alcohol dependency. Dr. Csaba Vadasz, Ph.D., professor of psychiatric research in the department of psychiatry at New York University School of Medicine, and Director of the NeuroBehavioral Genetic Research Program at the Nathan Kline Institute in Orangeburg, N.Y., states that these drugs could be designed to control the level of Grm7.

Dr. Csabe Vadasz, Ph.D. states "Our findings support emerging evidence of the critical role that the brain's glutamate pathways play in addiction," says Dr. Vadasz. "While dopamine has traditionally been cast as a central actor in the neurochemistry of substance use and abuse, recent studies indicate that glutamate systems play an important role in reinforcement and addiction.".

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the number of alcohol induced deaths, excluding vehicle accidents as well as homicides is 21,081 per year, and the number of deaths due to liver disease directly associated by alcohol consumption per year is 12,548. To learn more about the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism please visit www.nih.gov.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) -The Nation's Medical Research Agency- includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases.

SOURCE : Scientists Identify Gene That Influences Alcohol Consumption
http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/dec2007/niaaa-05.htm